CTigress - I have no idea- but just wanted to say really sorry about your poor llittle one, this sounds v difficult for you.
have you spoken to the HR people formally about this, or just let it wander on? It might be good to talk to them.
Bump this up tomorrow - there are some HR / persnonnel folk on MN.
And perhaps put a link to it it under 'employment issues'.

Sorry to hear about this, crouchingtigeress- must be a v worrying time. Depending on how old your son is you may well be entitled to parental leave. Have a look here for more details. Is your line manager supportive? Maybe ringing her/him for a chat would help clarify matters but obviously that's definitely not worth doing if it'll stress you out even further. It sounds like you've got enough on your plate for the moment. Hope the boy feels loads better asap.